


Pretend

by jinsonn



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 09:50:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5623045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinsonn/pseuds/jinsonn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Jinyoung can’t help the smile that spreads over his face at the sound of that voice. He can’t help the way his heart grows three sizes, or the way his fingers curl tighter around his phone, or how all of the stress that had built up over the day seeps right out of his body.</i> long distance relationship au. college au.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pretend

**Author's Note:**

> part of a [30 day drabble challenge](http://haosoon.tumblr.com/tagged/fic:dc) I set myself on tumblr. all the drabbles are separate though so I'll be posting them individually here.

“I was starting to think you weren’t gonna call tonight.”

Mark’s voice is even lower than usual, groggy, like he’d just been on the edge of sleep, and his phone had woken him up. Jinyoung feels bad, it is later than usual, and Mark’s a whole two hours ahead, but Jinyoung can’t help the smile that spreads over his face at the sound of that voice. He can’t help the way his heart grows three sizes, or the way his fingers curl tighter around his phone, or how all of the stress that had built up over the day seeps right out of his body.

“And go to sleep without hearing your voice? Never, you know me.”

“Do I though? Do I really? All these years and you still manage to be full of surprises, Park Jinyoung.”

Jinyoung smiles, shifting on his bed to lay on his back, staring up at the dark ceiling as he focuses on the familiar sounds of Mark on the other end. “I’m guessing my present got to you okay then?”

“You shouldn’t have, seriously, you’re a broke college student and you already spent too much on me for my birthday.”

Jinyoung can hear Mark’s pout and he chuckles, softly, coving his mouth with his hand. His roommate, Jaebum, is on the other side of the room with his headphones in, but Jinyoung keeps it down anyway, Jaebum’s made enough side comments about his “sickeningly romantic” late-night phone calls for Jinyoung to be cautious. As if Jaebum’s not the one making googly eyes at the muscly kid from across the hall every time he catches him coming back from a shower.

“I saw it and thought of you, I couldn’t not buy it. And it’s too late for your birthday and too early for Christmas, so.. surprise!” Jinyoung can almost hear Mark rolling his eyes, so he continues before he can say anything else. “Do you like it?”

There’s a pause, and Jinyoung can picture Mark on the other end, looking at his hand, the chunky silver ring Jinyoung had sent sitting on a perfectly slender finger.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Then it’s worth it.”

Mark laughs, a softer, huskier version of a usually very loud sound, but it’s beautiful nonetheless. It hits Jinyoung right in the chest in a way that manages to be both happy and sad at the same time. Jinyoung loves Mark’s laugh, even after a three year long relationship it still makes his heart flutter and his smile grow. And yet, the sound of it over the phone is bittersweet, makes his heart ache with the distance, and his next words fall out of his mouth with a practiced ease, the way they do every night.

“I miss you.”

Mark lets out a breath, a quiet sigh, and whispers in reply. “I miss you too.”

The distance is Jinyoung’s fault. Or, at least, he blames himself. Jinyoung has always believed he was destined for more than what his hometown held, it was his dream to move away, to come to this fancy arts college. Coming here was supposed to be the easiest decision of his life, but that was before leaving home behind would mean leaving Mark behind too. Jinyoung might not have even come if Mark hadn’t insisted. _This is your dream, Jinyoung, I’d hate it if you stayed behind just because of me._

“I’ll see you at Christmas time though,” Mark is saying, forever looking on the bright side. “And I’m working on getting transferred to you, things are starting to fall into place. So don’t miss me too much, okay? You have that big composition for class to worry about.”

Sometimes Jinyoung is sure Mark is too good for him.

“Tell me about your day?” Jinyoung asks, shifting onto his side, his phone pressed between the pillow and his ear.

Mark tells Jinyoung about college classes—his finals are coming up in a few weeks but he doesn’t feel stressed yet and he’s wondering if that should concern him—and dance classes—the Christmas recital is soon too and Mark is trying to juggle the kids he teachers and their parents, with working on his own routines, while also finding time to study.

As Mark launches into a story about some crazy mothers complaining about their kids not being featured enough in dances, Jinyoung closes his eyes, a smile growing on his lips the more Mark talks. If there’s one good thing that’s come out of the distance, it’s these phone calls. Back when they saw each other every day, it would sometimes be an effort and a half for Jinyoung to get Mark talking, but now it’s almost impossible to get him to stop. Jinyoung loves it, he loves Mark’s voice, and he lets it wash over him, familiar and warm.

If Jinyoung concentrates really hard, he can pretend that Mark is here, that the voice in his ear is coming straight from the source and not through the very not-Mark-shaped device in his hand. He can imagine it, Mark curled up in bed with him, and he presses his face into an imagined chest, breathes in a remembered scent, and lets himself believe it, if only for a second.

“What about you? How was your day?”

Jinyoung talks too, about classes—he also has finals soon—and his roommate’s ridiculous crush, pretending it’s Mark’s ear he’s murmuring into and not his phone. It helps, the phone calls and the pretending, sometimes Mark feels impossibly far away, but in moments like this, late at night with Mark’s voice in his ear, the distance isn’t quite so impossible.

It’s the best part of Jinyoung’s day, these phone calls, but ending them is the worst.

He tries to stifle his yawn, but he’s not quick enough and the sound comes out loud, right into the receiver. Jinyoung can almost hear Mark’s frown and he knows what he’s going to say before he says it.

“Jinyoungie, you should sleep.”

Jinyoung lets out a whine in protest, but the sound’s cut off by another yawn, and he ends it with a groan all of which makes Mark chuckle.

“I don’t want go yet,” Jinyoung mumbles, but he’s right on the edge of sleep and the words come out barely coherent.

“I don’t really want you to go yet either, but you’re about to pass out on me. Sleep, we’ll talk again tomorrow,” Mark replies, sleepy himself, his syllables starting to run together.

Jinyoung sighs, because Mark is right and they both need to sleep. He just wishes the sleeping could be done together.

“Okay, okay…” he pauses, dragging it out even though he knows the goodbye is inevitable.

“Goodnight Jinyoungie,” Mark says, a smile in his voice.

Jinyoung lets him sit on the line for a moment longer, takes a few more seconds just to enjoy that he’s there, before, finally, he replies. “Goodnight Mark, I love you.”

“I love you too.”


End file.
